We all wake up early to photograph the incredible Fitzroy peak and the surrounding mountains at sunrise. We all must squiggle under a fence to get to a good photo location. It is REALLY cold and once we’re set up we have to wait an hour for the peaks to finally glow pink from the sunrise. I walk towards another viewpoint and I see that Bill is sitting on the frozen ground. Karen says that he is not feeling well and is quite dizzy. So Karen and I pack up his gear, grab his arms and slowly hobble over toward the car. I’m waving at Jonathan for help but he later says he thought I was just waving hello. We get Bill back under the fence and on his way to the warm van to recuperate. But then he sees Fitzroy glowing
and asks to have his tripod set up! HA! These die-hard photographers… So it’s settled once we get back to the hotel: the four of us (Karen, Bill, Howard and me) are sticking close to home for the day while the others take a hike to the nearby river.
Jonathan says he will take care of everyone’s laundry and we can’t believe he would assume such a huge undertaking. In fact there are jokes that he might have an underwear fetish. But he’s not actually doing the laundry! He is taking it to the “fluff & fold” place. Howard uses his free time to look at his photos. I try to catch up on the blog. Bill is feeling much better–we think maybe it was low blood sugar. So, the four of us go back to last night’s restaurant for lunch. We need restorative soup and we also have empanadas. That does the trick for us. I have a bit of a cold so in the afternoon Howard and I visit the pharmacy. Later I can’t find my sunglasses and I think I’ve left them there. Karen accompanies me when I go back. I try to explain that I’m looking for my sunglasses but apparently my pantomime is not very effective. Karen’s Texas-twang Spanish does the trick! But, no sunglasses. Later I find them right where they should have been. It is really easy to lose track of things when you’re moving around so much. The gang returns from their hike and there are lots of moans and groans. Stuart is really like an old lady–going on and on about his aches and pains (new and old). He’ll tell anyone who will listen about his tales of woe. He relishes attention from a few people in the group. They zip up his coat to make sure he’s warm; ask him if he’s eaten (“no (sigh) I just don’t want anything to eat”); cajole him to put one foot in front of the other as we ascend the trail; even cut up food for him at dinner! I want to grab him by the lapels and shake some masculinity into him! Several of us take a short hike up to a waterfall before dinner.
We get a little tour of the town. When we get back our laundry is ready for us. Jonathan says we each owe 1/7 of the total. Wait there are 8 of us. Who did not have their laundry done?? I do believe I know who… Just before dinner Howard calls me into our bedroom and says “now stay calm and don’t panic”! Oh, lord, what is he going to tell me?? A piece of his hearing aid is stuck in his ear. I try to extract it with two different tweezers but I can’t get ahold of it. I tell him he’ll just have to live with it till we get home. That’s not the answer he wants to hear. He says he’ll need to see a doctor tomorrow. Now I’m really motivated to get it out! Mari Ann has neat tweezers that open when you press them and close when you release (the opposite of regular tweezers). I have that foreign body out in one try! We have another great dinner. We start out with delicious rolls and a carrot spread (instead of traditional pebre). The rolls are dense and yeasty with an egg-wash crust. I order trout but apparently mispronounced the Spanish word for trout and all Spanish-speaking people go silent. I won’t do that again. Howard has delicious lamb ravioli. Rex notices that Scott was leaning against the wall where an electric box is situated. He joked that we all were hoping the current would do him in. So when I felt bad the other day that he would be gassed in the room, maybe others were secretly hoping the same thing!